Just Well Law, PLLC: Sickened Sewanee Students Sue University of the South Over Toxic Mold

Lawsuit: Contaminated dormitory long known for the 'Johnson Cough'

SEWANEE, Tenn., Sept. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Seven current and former Sewanee students sickened by dangerous black mold have sued the University of the South, alleging that their contaminated school dormitory rooms caused serious illnesses and costly disruptions of their educations, according to their attorneys at Just Well Law, PLLC and Davis & Davis.

In a 53-page lawsuit filed late Tuesday in Franklin County Circuit Court, the University of the South is accused ignoring student and parent complaints about toxic mold at Johnson Hall, the dormitory where the then-freshmen students in the lawsuit began residing in 2024 and initially blaming students for their illnesses.

The lawsuit alleges, "Students at the University of the South have the right to expect safe air in their dorms. And when parents pay $75,000 per year for tuition, room, and board, they have the right to expect that the University will provide safe and habitable housing. And yet for years, Sewanee has neglected its dorms to the point that they became a running joke amongst students. Sewanee continued to place freshmen into Johnson Hall — a dorm long known for its infestation with toxic mold — causing life-changing illness to many of the students entrusted in their care."

The plaintiffs in the case are current and former students Elizabeth Grace Bandy, Lily Bowers, Jenna Ballard, Hannah Crawley, Hollyn Fox, Abigail Lee, and Cassandra Nicotera and their families. They are represented by attorneys Andy Peters Davis, of Davis & Davis, of Winchester, Tenn.; and Kristina S. Baehr, Jessica L. Yaeger, Christopher A. LaCour of Just Well Law, PLLC, of Austin, Texas.

The current and former students reported a range of adverse health effects, according to the lawsuit, including random nosebleeds, headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, congestion, fever, asthma, anxiety, vomiting from repeated antibiotics, worsening asthma, sweating, sleeplessness, and emotional trauma.

Attorney Kristina S. Baehr said, "Sewanee administrators long knew or should have known that these dorm rooms were unsafe for human habitation. Reports of pervasive toxic mold on campus are not a recent concern but have been consistent part of student life. These students and their families have suffered tremendously — and their health, educational progress and financial situations all have been harmed."

The lawsuit asserts, "By September 2024, Johnson Hall was filled with sick students. Freshmen who had come to Sewanee to learn and grow were now too ill for class, missing practices, and collapsing into bed after attending even one class. When parents asked questions, the administration claimed the students were at fault — that they had left windows open in the rain or needed to clean their rooms more."

"Reports of mold have been common for years, but the University failed to take action and properly remediate these toxic dorms and would routinely ignore complaints from students about moldy air conditioners to wild animals roaming the dorms. Complaints that both Residential Life offices and the Universities facilities management were slow to respond to student concerns, if any response came at all. The University ignored the complaints of students and toxic mold began grow at a rapid rate in one of the historic dorms on Campus, Johnson Hall."

Dorm residents even gave related respiratory illnesses a nickname — the "Johnson Cough," according to the lawsuit. The university newspaper, The Sewanee Purple, recently reported that "many upperclassmen state that mold has been a part of their Sewanee experience."

Independent testing found Penicillium/Aspergillus mold levels inside two students' dorm room at 2,200 times higher than levels found outside the room.

In October 2024, under pressure from residents and the upset families of sick students, mold inspectors conducted a small sampling of the rooms in Johnson Hall, and the University of the South finally admitted what students already knew: Johnson Hall was full of dangerous, toxic mold, according to the lawsuit.

The university is accused of negligence; gross negligence, willful and wanton conduct; negligent hiring, supervision, and training; negligent infliction of emotional distress; intentional infliction of emotional distress; breach of contract; and violations of Tennessee Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and punitive damages. The group seeks damages of more than $35 million, plus attorneys' fees and court costs.

The case is Elizabeth Bandy, et al., v. Sewanee, University of the South, Case No. 2025-CV-179 in the Circuit Court for Franklin County, Tennessee.

CONTACT: Erin Powers, Powers MediaWorks LLC, for Just Well Law, PLLC and Davis & Davis, 281.703.6000, [email protected]

SOURCE Just Well Law, PLLC